Biz Bits: U.S. facing a severe shortage of nurses

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Tip of the Week

Registered nursing is one of the fastest-growing careers in the U.S. By 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates, 580,000 more nursing positions will be needed, a growth rate of 22 percent since 2008.

Nursing is also thought to be highly recession-proof, actually adding positions during economic downturns. In July 2009, when the U.S. saw job losses of more than 450,000, more than 20,000 new nursing positions were added to the economy.

These huge increases mean that many hospitals and clinics are struggling to meet their need for nurses. In fact, a June 2009 Health Affairs article by Peter I. Buerhaus finds that by 2025, the U.S. is expected to have a shortage of more than 250,000 registered nurses.

"Simply put, there is a huge need for nurses throughout the country," says Martha Keough, nursing director at Everest College in Ontario, Calif. Demand for nurses is high in all types of medical facilities, including hospitals, medical centers, physicians' offices, nursing homes and assisted living centers.

"Nursing is an exciting career option - somewhere between an art and a science," Keough says. "You get to interact one-on-one with patients and know you are making a difference in their lives."

While the number of new nurses entering the profession is growing, growth is not fast enough to meet demand. The American Association of Certified Nurses reported a 2.2 percent increase in enrollments at entry-level baccalaureate nursing programs in 2008 over 2007; however, that increase will not be nearly sufficient to meet the projected number of openings.

- ARA

BBB Watch

Scam artists may begin to take advantage of the public's lack of knowledge about President Obama's health care program to convince unwary consumers to sign up for phony health insurance plans.

"Bogus insurance agents often attempt to take advantage of new offerings by going door-to-door trying to sell nonexistent insurance to confused consumers," said Steve J. Bernas of the Better Business Bureau. "These dishonest sales people may call these policies 'ObamaCare' insurance or some other name. However, consumers need to be aware that there are currently no 'special' or 'limited enrollment' insurance policies to buy under the new law."

The BBB president explains that these people are pretending to be from the federal government, saying that they sell special insurance.

For more advice on how to protect yourself and your business from scams, visit www.bbb.org.

The List

Here are the most reputable companies in the United States, according to www.forbes.com:

1: Johnson & Johnson

2. Kraft Foods

3: Kellogg

4. Walt Disney Co.

5: PepsiCo

6. SaraLee

7. Google

8. Microsoft

9. UPS

10. Dean Foods

Number to Know

57.9: The Consumer Confidence Index number for April, a gain from March’s 52.3. The number is the highest since September 2008, when the index was 61.4.

Tech Talk

Are you a fan of “The Sims 3” but are dismayed it’s only available for PC? Well be dismayed no longer – Electronic Arts said it’s releasing the popular game on all the big gaming units this fall.